Chimera
by IDidn'tSignUp4This
Summary: A writer decides to find a logical explanaintion for dual-bending - Chimeras. Human chimeras. Confused? Don't worry, so are the characters. Join a mixed-nation family as they discover one of their own's shocking abilities, and delve into the AtlA universe hundreds of years before the series.


**A/N: So, this is me trying to find a possible way for dual-bending to exist. I got this idea of what were if there was a bending chimera, and now I wanna execute it. I have no clue if this is going to be a one-shot or a story, as that depends how well this hits off and if I get ant ideas for an actual storyline.**

**Explanation of chimera:**

**_A genetic chimerism or chimera (kai'mɪərə/ky-MEER-ə or /kɪˈmɪərə/kə-MEER-ə, also chimaera (chimæra) is a single organism composed of cells with distinct genotypes. (Extract from: chimaera, genetic (Wikipedia)_**

**In some cases (as is here) the chimera had a twin who 'merged' (as I cannot put it differently) with the chimera-to-be in the womb, creating the chimera. You can read various articles on the internet for further and more scientifically accurate information. So in this fic, I'm exploring what might happen if this happens to two unborn benders with different bending abilities. **

**The ages of the children:**

Mono: 9

Li San: 6

Lusa:5

**The whole ordeal takes place before Yangchen's time, the avatar being from the Southern Water Tribe, her name is Kuma, and she was Avatar in relatively peaceful time.**

**So, do you like the names and characters I have created? **

**What do you think of the concept?**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything, except for the concept of these OCs and some aspects of their unique abilities. Everything else belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon.**

On a boat, in the middle of the ocean, on the way to the North Pole

A group of children is leaping around on the deck, playing games with their bending skills, cautiously watched by their mother as their father works on the ship. There are three children. A boy, and two girls. All of them sharing a mixture of the typical Water Tribe and Fire Nation features. Now, if you get to know them a little bit, you will find that they are the children of a Fire Nation merchant named Akino and a Northern Water Tribe healer called Koa. The boy, the oldest, is called Mono, and has his father's matted black hair and sturdy build, his mother's blue eyes, deep skin and delicate nose and likes planting seeds from the rare flowers that his father brings home from his trading trips. The second-eldest, a girl, is lean and has the burning amber gaze that marks a firebender, accompanied by her father's black hair and her mother's slender hands, that are matched with barely visible, high cheekbones. She likes playing tag with her siblings. Her name is Li San. And lastly, there is Lusa, the youngest. She has her father's warm brown eyes and broad nose, her mother's hair, skin tone and gift of waterbending and thoroughly enjoys sparring with her firebending sister. If you go a little closer, you will see what they are doing. They are playing a very interesting game. It involves Li San trying to set fire to an apple that's perched on Mono's head, and Lusa trying to extinguish the flame with her waterbending first. Their mother is sitting nearby, ready to put out any fires that happen at the wrong time and place. The delighted cries of the children as they are splashed with water rings clearly over the calm, still ocean. Let's get a bit closer, shall we? Currently, Li San has managed to burn the Apple three times, but Lusa has extinguished her flames five times. Times are looking grim for the young firebender. Now, what's this? Lusa has taken to splashing her sister with water. Giggling, the little firebender raises her arms to protect her eyes, crying to her sister not to do it, and - What's this? The water is standing, still as a rock, over her raised arms. Koa stares at her eldest daughter, and then looks over at Lusa, who is fiercely trying not to stare at her older sibling like a frightened turtleduck.

"Lusa, did you do that?" Koa gently asks her youngest child. The young girl timidly shakes her head. Now Koa turns to her son, Mono. As soon as she meets his gaze, he shakes his head with a confused look. Li San meanwhile, is slowly lowering her arms to see what all the commotion is about and why she hasn't gotten wet yet. As she does so, the water splashes onto the deck. All of them turn to her. Her father, Akino's interest has been woken, too, as he is now watching the scene unfold with a worried look on his weather-beaten face. Koa rushes over to Li San, who is looking from her hands, to the puddle at her feet, to her sister, and back again with wide amber eyes. Koa keels down in front of her daughter and gently asks her, "Li San, I need you to tell me very truthfully, what happened? Do you know who just bent that water?"

Li San nods, wide-eyed and starts her tale, stammering at first, but recovering quickly: " L-lusa s-s-splashed m-me with water w-w-w-with her b-bending. I put my arms up like this" she raises her arms in front of her eyes, "a-and told Lusa not to splash it because I didn't wanna get wet a-a-and when I didn't get wet and heard all of you talking so much, I put my arms down again and the water went down there."

She points to the puddle at her feet. Koa looks at the puddle as if something might be wrong with it. Carefully, as if scared the water might get a mind of its own and attack her, she raises her hands and pulls the water up to eye-level with her bending. She gazes intently at the water, trying to find any abnormalities in it, feeling for the connection she shares with it. But it's just normal water. She let's the water fall back onto the deck again and looks at Li San curiously, before she gets the look she always has when she has just had an ingenious idea.

"Lusa, would you please do the first form I taught you?" she firmly orders her youngest. "Li San, focus and imitate your sister."

The two girls nod and line up next to each other obediently as Lusa begins a very basic waterboarding form, Li San imitating her, her movements a little more sharp and cornered from her firebending training. Effortlessly, Lusa is bending the water, and to the amazement of all, so is - even if a little shakily and rigidly - Li San.

Mono is standing my his father's side, watching his sisters, absolutely mystified. Koa is now also by Akino's side, watching her daughters closely as they repeat the form, slowly falling into a steady rhythm together.

Akino clears his throat and questions his wife in a hushed voice: "Do you have any idea what this means? Is Avatar Kuma not the real Avatar? Have we all been drinking? What in Agni's name is going on here?"

Koa looks over at her husband with a hopeless look on her face and pushes back a strand of her long, dark hair.

"I don't know. I'm sure Avatar Kuma is the Avatar, I've met her myself, I've seen her bend all four elements. But maybe she knows what's going on. I believe we should pay her a visit and ask for advice. Chief Koklo invited her to the North Pole for his son's birthday celebration. Since we're there anyways, we might have a chance to see her," she suggests tentatively as she watches her daughters start the form again. Akino smiles and puts his arm around her shoulders and ruffles Mono's hair with his other hand and tell his son: "Well, looks like we're in for an adventure. Tell your sister's they're going to meet the Avatar."

Mono grins excitedly.

"Really Dad? We're gonna meet the Avatar?! That's so cool! The kids at school are gonna be so jealous!"

He runs off to tell his sisters. Lusa looks very excited, but Li San seems a little scared.

"Will the Avatar...Punish me for bending more than one element, Mum?"

Koa looks at her daughter and offers her a comforting smile.

"No, darling, she won't. We're going to see her so we can find out why you can bend two elements."

Satisfied with her answer, the young girl nods and continues to ask for some more waterbending lessons.

"Waterbending is so different to firebending, but somehow also really similar. But it's weird to have to have water around so you can bend it." She tells her mother, who is teaching her a new form.

"And I need to watch my emotions much more with firebending. If I get too angry, I'll start a fire somewhere random. I don't need to worry about that with waterbending. That's kind of cool."

Koa looks at her daughter, and the corners of her mouth twitch up into an affectionate smile: "Li San, when you get older and better at firebending, I'm sure you'll be able to get angry without setting fire to something. It just takes practice. Waterbending will too. But you'll get there, I'm sure of it."

She smiles reassuringly at her daughter, who proceeds to end her form almost perfectly. Koa proudly applauds her and is happy with how quickly she's learning. She's glad that she can teach Li San waterbending herself, unlike firebending, for which she needs a paid teacher back in the little Fire Nation town they live in.

_A few weeks of ship-travel later, the North Pole's entrance _

The family - now dressed in warm fur coats - watches the grand ice gates open, Mono's eyes are filled with wonder, Koa's with pride, and Akino and the girls' with admiration for the ingenuity and bending skills used to move and create the gates.

Once safely in the beautiful city of ice, the family sails their boat the house that belongs to Koa's mother, her older sister Karinna and her brother in-law, Tokkal, with their daughter Leilani, who is the same age as Mono. They are greeted by Karinna and an extatic Leilani. The children race down the icy path a little to talk 'without adults'. Lusa shows off her newly learned bending abilities whilst Li San shows off some of her firebending, not daring to tell anybody of her...Talent. Leilani squeals in excitement at the delightful little tricks and in turn shows how she's learned how to freeze bigger amounts of water.

In the meantime, Akino and Koa tell Karinna about Li San's surprising new gift. The waterbender agrees with them, if so in a rather hysterical manner: "Avatar Kuma must know about this. Otherwise, who knows what might happen. She could lose total control of her bending! She could end the world!"

Koa reaches out to her sister and embraces her with a confident smile on her face.

"No, I don't think so. She just needs training. All we want to know is why she can bend two elements, alright?"

She assures her sister, comfortingly patting her back.

_Later that day_

Koa leads her family through the alleys and roads of the city to the home the avatar was residing in for the festivities and surrounding days.

Finally, much to the joy of the steadily more impatient-growing Lusa and Mono, and the displeasure of the more and more terrifying Li San, they reached the building.

Koa pulled Li San in front of her and knocked on the door.

A tall, elderly woman in Earth Kingdom garb pokes her head out and smiles at the family.

"How can I help you?"

Koa takes a deep breath and explains the whole thing. By her side, Li San shrinks together more and more as the tale proceeds. The woman's eyes grow wider than a plate.

"I fully understand. I'll take you to Kuma right away. I'm Fen He, by the way. I was trained together with Kuma in earthbending."

She beckons, and the family follows her into the house. Inside, at the kitchen table is a just as elderly, stout little woman in the traditional furs of the Water Tribes. On signals the family to stand back, and walks over to Kuma with a space barely imaginable for a woman of her age and whispers into the Avatar's left ear. Who nods, and speaks: "This is a very unique case indeed. Perhaps the young lady could give me a demonstration of her skills?"

She invitingly gestures to Li San, who after a scared look at her parents, who nod encouragingly, and a quick glance at her siblings, who nod excitedly, she comes forward.

She begins with what has always come easily to her - firebending. She isn't quite sure why, since she is a rather timid and shy young girl, whose bending abilities skill had been found by chance by a watchful neighbour, much to everyone's surprise. Yet as she ends her form, it is hard to not see her as a firebender. She may not realise it, but she has fiery passion to herself, now still a childish enthusiasm, that comes out when she punches a small flame across the chamber, with a little more force than needed, perhaps. Kuma nods approvingly. Now, Li San goes into a waterbending kata, and begins the one form that she has learned, looking at her mother after every small little move, hesitant, afraid of doing something wrong. And each time, her mother nods and makes a little 'go on' motion with her hand. Like before, her movements are more rough and rigid like a firebender's, not smooth and flowing like a waterbender's. The water wobbles and jiggles around under the awkward movements, but it still does the job. When she's done, she has successfully bended some of the water from her mother's water skin in the flowing motion her mother and sister taught her. Kuma grins broadly and applauds politely, and Fen He watches with a strong interest.

"Very good, young one. This is, indeed, a very unique talent. A talent that could be very useful. And I advise you, train it well," She turns to Koa and Akino. "I must commune with the Spirts Realm to find out more about your daughter's gift. It is very unusual, and shouldn't even be possible."

The old Avatar furrows her eyebrows together and folds her legs into a meditative position. Suddenly, her eyes start glowing an intense white, and the entire room seems to be filled with whistling gusts of wind. The children hide behind their mother, scared for their dear life. Fen He sits down and makes herself comfortable, not a care in the world.

Akino and his wife exchange aweful looks and take a careful seat on the ground, pulling their children closer to them.

It takes a long time until Kuma's eyes stop glowing and she stands up again. In the time that she was in the Avatar State, the young children had fallen asleep against the shoulders of their parents, and Koa is slowly nodding off, as well. Fen He smiles when she sees that her friend is back, and Akino gently pushes his wife from his shoulder. From all the commotion, Mono begins to awaken and gaze, wide-eyed, at Kuma, who is chatting with Fen He and glancing over at Li San. Now Mono makes it his mission to awaken his sisters, who are both heavy sleepers. He tries tickling - to the joy and terror of his siblings - first. Lusa is the first to awaken, sleeping rubbing her eyes and yawning. Li San wakes up shortly after, a little enraged after being woken so inelegantly, and sends a small flame his way.

Avatar Kuma watches the children squabble with a bemused smile on her face. When - after a few grumpy comments about being woken by tickling from the girls - the children have calmed down, she proceeds to speak.

"I have communed with one of my past lives, Avatar Jakko. He told me the unique case of a man who was two beings at once."

She hesitated before turning to Koa and Akino with a curious look on her wrinkled old face.

"Tell me, is there a history of twins in either of your families?"

Koa nods, and a solemn look falls over her face.

"My father had a twin brother."

Kuma nods understandingly.

"That would explain a lot. You see, what has happened with your daughter, is that she used to have a twin, before she was born. But this twin did not fully develop and instead merged with her. My guess is that her twin was an unborn waterbender. Tell me, young one," She turned to Li San. "Do you have any areas that are a different than the rest of your body? Say, a much darker or lighter skin tone? Or a different shape?"

Li San nods as her mother shyly says, "I noticed that her left arm is a little darker than her right one, and how her left foot has a long second toe, and her right foot has a shorter one. I always thought nothing of it."

"Ah, that would just prove it all. Li San is not just one person, she is two. A little how I have a bunch of past lives who will possess me when needed. Just her second person is a lot less scary."

Li San stares at her with wide eyes. The old Avatar returns her gaze warmly and kindly, and bends down, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"You are very special, young one. I'm thinking special enough to be trained by me personally."

The young girl's parents gasp.

"No, we couldn't!"

"Lady Kuma, it's too much! We only came for counsel, it would take up too much of your time to train her."

The old woman laughed.

"Don't be so shy, you two. Your daughter is very special and I have not trained anybody in a long time. And besides, I'll finally have something to do in my old age! So please, sit back, and enjoy your daughter's journey into one of the most legendary benders of all time!"

_Now follows an excerpt from: Great benders: Li San Himada, by Park Jeong-Moon, History Professor at the University of Ba Sing Se "Koa and Akino agreed to let their daughter train under Avatar Kuma. When she died thirteen years later, aged ninety-seven, Li San was fully-trained firebending master, and a skilled enough Water Tribe healer, who went on to train the next avatar, Avatar Meilin, sixteen years later, in both firebending and waterbending, tutoring her and going on adventures with her until she retired at age eighty-five, and died at age ninety-one."_

**A/N: Feel free to review, follow and add to your favourites. Especially review. Each little review makes us authors happy because we know somebody out there is reading, and don't just get those slowly rising follows and favourites, which I at least, often get little to no notifications of. **

**Feel welcome to tell me if I'm writing something here that isn't actually possible in-universe and/or medically inaccurate.**

**On names: Most of the names are taken almost directly from foreign naming websites, although some were created loosely based on character names already in-universe. **


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